Calgary Chamber announces 2023 Small Business Award winners

Calgary, October 21, 2023 – To cap off Small Business Week 2023 presented by TELUS Business, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2023 Calgary Small Business Awards. With over 150 nominations, each of the eight award categories highlights a different theme that embodies what it means to be a small business. These awards showcase the best of the best in our small business community.

"Congratulations to all of our Small Business Award winners," said Deborah Yedlin, President and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. "All the winners are excellent examples of the incredible businesses we have in our community. I am thrilled to recognize and celebrate all the finalists and winners as Small Business Week comes to a close."

connectFirst Small Business of the Year: Pekarsky & Co

Pekarsky & Co. is an award-winning, independently owned and operated, retained executive search and human capital advisory firm, who shares a deep connection to the local community and brings a values-based approach to everything they do. They are not afraid to stand up, stand out, take risks, or give back.

Since 2009, Pekarsky & Co. has provided executive and Board recruitment services, as well as leadership consulting services, to a range of clients in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.

The firm offers a high-touch, completely customizable and tailored approach to search. They do not believe a recruitment process should be “one size fits all” and prides itself on its bespoke approach to all that they do.

Pekarsky & Co.’s mission is to build stronger organizations with exceptional people through an uncompromising commitment to client, candidate, and community.

Grant Thornton Emerging Growth Award: ORKA Performance

ORKA Performance was born out of the love for training and rehabbing athletes to become the best version of themselves. ORKA is a multi-disciplinary rehab and performance company in Calgary.

When the company opened in 2021, ORKA knew exactly where they wanted to go. This meant bringing together a team of educated coaches, therapists and sports medicine doctors who operate with collaboration at the centre.

The process ORKA uses has led to countless athletes returning from serious injury, sign university scholarships, play professionally, and most importantly, enjoy their sporting experience.

TD Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award presented by Pride in Business: RedPoint Media Group

RedPoint Media Group is a magazine publisher in transition to being a community connector. Dating back to 1994, connection is the point. All of RedPoint’s work is founded in building trust. RedPoint engages audiences and connects communities through trusted storytelling to increase Albertans’ sense of belonging and improve life in this province.

RedPoint Media Group is one of the largest independent publishers in Western Canada with a particular focus on lifestyle, health and wellness, tourism and hospitality and cultural reporting.

SureCall Community Champion Award: Fisher Law

Not your average law firm. Fisher Law is a compassionate and community focused immigration and refugee law firm, who prides itself on championing access to justice for all.

Rowan Fisher started Fisher Law on her own in January 2021, despite being in the middle of a pandemic, because she knew it was needed. Fisher Law assists clients on unique matters from being removed from Canada, to bringing family members with disabilities from overseas, to claiming refugee status due to persecution base on gender, sexual orientation, race, or religion. Fisher Law takes pride in its ability to assist clients through all application processes and their related tasks, big and small, from start to finish.

Fisher Law makes conscious and ongoing policies and procedures to reach out into community, provide information and services through pro bono legal clinics, give free presentations and workshops through many newcomer serving agencies and organizations, and to run immigration information kiosks at a wide variety of public events.

Fisher Law’s value proposition is ‘We help you because we are you’. The team is composed of people from across the globe, each of whom are immigrants themselves and team members speak English, French, Hindi, Igbo, Pashto, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, and Urdu.

Bow Valley Innovation Award: CleanO2 Carbon Capture Technologies Inc.

Not just another environmentally friendly soap company, CleanO2 Carbon Capture Technologies is a cleantech company that puts carbon in its place, one soap bar at a time.

The founders — Jaeson Cardiff, Kathi Fischer and Scott Forgrave — invented a revolutionary device, CarbinX™, that captures carbon dioxide emissions from building heating systems, before it can harm the climate, and turns it into non-toxic pearl ash (potassium carbonate).
CleanO2 uses the pearl ash to produce handmade soaps and other products.

Simple and essential, these products are an easy way for customers to take action on climate change. What could be easier than lathering up with silky smooth CO2 sequestered suds?

Air Canada Resilient Business Award: Showpass

Showpass is the world's first customer centric ticketing and discovery platform for events, activities, and things to do. Showpass is more than just a ticketing company - it's a way of bringing people amazing experiences to create memories and drive cultural and community engagement. The fastest growing ticketing company in Canada, Showpass empowers event organizers to create connected experiences for their customers through next-level technology.

Showpass is focused on bringing people together through the magic of live events, including producing globally renowned touring exhibits such as The Museum of Failure and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition. Showpass is proud to have served millions of customers every year.

CPA Alberta Social Entrepreneurship Award: SANDSTONE Asset Management Inc.

Based in Calgary, SANDSTONE Asset Management offers discretionary investment management services to private individuals, foundations, and family trusts.

Over the past two decades, SANDSTONE has grown in both size and influence, the company has achieved a number of ‘firsts’ since its inception, among them being a certified B- Corporation. Sandstone Asset Management has met the exacting B-Corp standards with respect to transparency, accountability, and social and environmental performance in each of the past five years. Since 2006, Sandstone has also been designated as an Imagine Canada ‘Caring Company’, recognizing excellence in community investment and social responsibility.

SANDSTONE prides itself on providing exemplary investment expertise that results in top-ranked returns, but equally importantly, is committed to building an inclusive and sustainable future for its employees, clients, and those who reside in its community.

Servus People’s Choice Award: RedBloom Salon

RedBloom Salon is a full-service hair salon providing haircuts, colour, highlighting, extensions, styling, and treatments with four locations in Calgary.

Opening in 2004, RedBloom Salon’s founder Troy Winget, envisioned a salon built on a foundation of modern design, passion, as well as a focus on growth, collaboration, and well-being for both clients and stylists.

RedBloom represents more than a hair salon and is committed to supporting its community.

As a service provider, RedBloom exists to providing a warm and welcoming atmosphere so clients feel safe, comfortable, respected, and beautiful.

RedBloom focuses on investing in its staff to create a supportive and long-term career workplace for hairstylists, offering in-house education and education allowances, mentorship, and growth opportunities for all employees to encourage the team to continuously improve.

ABOUT THE CALGARY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The Calgary Chamber exists to help businesses reach their potential. As the convenor and catalyst for a vibrant, inclusive and prosperous business community, the Chamber works to build strength and resilience among its members and position Calgary as a magnet for talent, diversification and opportunity. As an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 1891, we build on our history to serve and advocate for businesses of all sizes, in all sectors across the city.

Media opportunities

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